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Sherri Shepherd Honored For Charity Work at YAI

Published
6:30 PM PDT, September 13, 2013

As many fans of The View have come to know, co-host Sherri Shepherd is mom to a special needs son, and has spent years raising awareness and money for YAI, a not-for-profit benefiting children with cerebral palsy, autism and more. On Thursday, the organization relayed their thanks to the star with a celebratory bash in New York City.

"For us, this is the culmination of so many years of joy," said YAI's Chief Executive Officer Stephen Freeman of Sherri's involvement and fundraising achievements. "She raised millions of dollars for people with disabilities, for our schools, for kids who couldn't walk and couldn't talk before they came in our school. We gave them hope and all of it is due to what she's done for us."

Sherri's son Jeffrey, now eight, weighed in just shy of 2 pounds at birth. Despite his precarious start, The View co-host's only child is now healthy and happy, but suffered developmental delays during his formative years. Once told Jeffrey might never walk or talk, Sherri credits YAI for giving her son a new lease on life.

"I love YAI," she beamed. "They just have a really, really beautiful place in my heart because of what they did for my son. He came from speaking two words, to full sentences and, you know, even being able to walk the runway for Fashion Week. I owe a lot of that to YAI so anytime they need me, I'm here."

Click the video to watch our interviews with Sherri, Stephen and actress Paula Garces at the special event benefiting The Sherri Shepherd Believe in Abilities Fund in NYC. To learn more about the organization, visit their website here.